As explained by Brendan Atkinson—a technical advisor to the Sporting Shooters' Association of Australia—in “How to clean a firearm”:
“Firearms work better, shoot straighter and last longer if they are properly maintained and treated with respect. A large part of this maintenance involves the proper cleaning and care of the working mechanisms and the all-important bore.”
When a firearm is discharged, particles of burnt powder and primer residue are left in the bore, along with copper or lead-fouling depending on what bullets are being used. The next shot causes the bullet to pass over the fouling and so on for subsequent shots. If the firearm is neglected and many shots fired, a sandwich build-up of fouling can occur in the bore, especially just in front of the chamber. This, in effect, reduces the size of the bore and can result in a rise in pressure—in extreme cases, copper-clad bullets can be swaged down by this fouling so they exit the bore slightly undersized, and this is why fouling causes accuracy to drop off as more shots are fired.
In an article by Priscilla Cash, “AR-15: ‘Ready When You Need It’ Tips, Tricks and Techniques”, Ms. Cash explained:
“Carbon buildup in the action of the AR-15 can cause jams. While some carbon can build up in your rifle's barrel and this should be cleaned occasionally, the action is where significant carbon buildup can accumulate and cause problems. The bolt carrier, the bolt, and the so-called “star chamber” . . . are the areas you most want to focus on clearing of carbon residue.”
Star chambers, also known as barrel extensions, are found in, for example, M16, M-14 and AR rifles, such as the AR-15. Star chambers are where rounds of ammunition, pushed by a bolt carrier, are centered and chambered.
A ring of canted locking lugs, together with a center opening “rimmed” by top lands of the lugs, form a star inlet to a chamber behind it. The star inlet is part of the star chamber.
Star chambers can be fouled with built-up burnt powder, primer residue and, depending on the type of cartridge, copper or lead. Due to the odd configurations of star chambers, star chambers have been difficult to clean.
Firearm maintenance involves keeping the gun and its working parts free of carbon, metal particles (lead, copper, brass), and any other contaminant or foreign substance that may cause the gun to malfunction or to wear out prematurely. Firearms should generally be cleaned after firing them, and a deep cleaning should be performed periodically.
After a thorough cleaning, the next step in maintaining a firearm is to properly lubricate it. Lubrication is as important, if not more so than cleaning. To keep the firearm from malfunctioning, proper lubrication is essential and proper oiling protects metal parts from corrosion as well.
Sometimes a chamber brush (screwed into a rod) and/or a slot patch (in a slot plot holder screwed into a rod) is used to remove most of the fouling before turning to cotton swabs, such as Q-Tips® swabs.
As good as some cotton swabs are for getting into small or tight places, like the outside folds of a person's ears, those cotton swabs can leave fibers behind on a firearm's metal edges.
Some companies are selling specialized star chamber cleaning tools, such as: Otis Technology Star Chamber Tool; C. J. Weapons Chamber Maid Swab Kits; Tapco® Intrafuse® Cleaning Stars; and Real Avid AR-15 Star Chamber Stars.
Otis Technology's Star Chamber Tool (available for 5.56 mm and 7.62 mm caliber) has a nose piece which centers the tool in the star chamber. A chamber brush or other scraper components can be attached to this tool for added cleaning.
C. J. Weapons Chamber Maid Swab Kits (available for .223 and .308 caliber) each include: star-Styrofoam swabs with a center hole, straight bronze bore brush, removable handle, a flexible steel braid, and rubber coated cleaning rod. To clean the star chamber: the removable handle is threaded onto one end of the rod and the bronze brush is threaded into an opposite end of the rod; the brush is pushed into the star chamber multiple times; then a swab is pushed down onto a tip of the brush and pushed into the star chamber.
Tapco® Intrafuse® Cleaning Stars (available for AR-style and M14 rifles) are stars with a center hole. Similarly, Real Avid AR-15 Star Chamber Stars contain wool shaped stars with a center hole. Both star-shaped products apparently are designed to be used after shooters use a star-chamber brush to loosen the carbon. Then these cleaning stars are mounted, by their center holes, onto the brush tip or a cleaning rod. Solvent is added to the stars before moving them multiple times in and out of the star chamber.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to create a more effective and efficient tool to clean, lubricate, and remove debris from the star chamber of a firearm (e.g., an AR/M14 rifle or variants).
It is another general object to provide such a tool that is lightweight, easy to use, and yet provides superior results.